Tuesday, January 24, 2017

Westobou Gold by Hawk MacKinney (Review & Giveaway)

In Westobou Gold, Hawk MacKinney sets out to entertain his readers with murder, crooked police officers, sex crimes, and illegal smugglers, with the subtropical suburbs of South Carolina as a backdrop.

Book Description:
The Indian Queen would risk torture and worse to keep her secrets from these barbarians in suits of metal and their search for cities of gold. They never found the gold. Empires rose; empires fell, the centuries passed. Legend became fireside myths, but no treasure was ever found. Yet, among the grey-green drapes of wisteria and wild jasmine along the misty shrouded lowlands of bayous and marshes of the Westo River, the folktales persist.

In the lazed creep of a near-tropical dawn lit the pungent Turkish coffee permeates Moccasin Hollow. Beyond the kitchen door Lucky, Craige Ingram’s German shepherd gnaws a favorite bone. Looted burial mounds seem a world away until plundered mounds on Moccasin Hollow land brings amateur archaeologist PI Craige Ingram into the cross-hairs of kidnapping. Stealthy hideaways are concealed in old colonial brick-lined river grottoes beneath the big house of Ardochy plantation. Sex-tape underage blackmail and thrill killings on federal land spur a medical examiner’s preliminary postmortem to more than a hired cleaner’s quickie cover-up passed off as drug deals gone sour. Greed tangles a witch’s pigswill of illicit affairs and murder-to-hide-murder. Shady investigators and shadier politics stir an unexpected concoction that threatens the lives of those at Moccasin Hollow in a spiteful plot against ex-SEAL Craige Ingram and the woman he loves.

Private investigator Craige Ingram takes on a murder investigation that the military wants handled quietly. But Craige’s years of training as a military spy tell him this was going to get dangerous. To get this done, Ingram would have to expose dirty police officers, crooked politicians and treasure smugglers to get to the truth.

In Westobou Gold, Hawk MacKinney sets out to entertain his readers with murder, crooked police officers, sex crimes, and illegal smugglers, with the subtropical suburbs of South Carolina as a backdrop. MacKinney is at home in this setting. We are treated to authentic portrayals of southern state characters’ lives with their colorful linguistics that at time was hard to follow unless you are from around those parts.

The action is indeed fast paced and MacKinney does not hold back from thickening the plot even though the book is a mere 220 pages. In fact, if there is one criticism to the novel it’s that it was not long enough for such a web of intrigue. Maybe another 50 or 100 pages would have given this reader time to catch his breath and not found some of the scene changes a little jarring.

Readers should be aware this book contains mature content, such as explicit crime scenes, lurid sex and profanity. If you like crime thrillers with a lot of action this might be what you're looking for.

Fil Piccolo's Disclosure: Thanks to the publicist for sending me this book for review. I was not compensated in any other way, nor told how to rate or review this product.

Meet the Author:

Internationally acclaimed author and public speaker, Hawk MacKinney began writing mysteries for his school newspapers. He served in the US Navy Reserve for over 20 years, and was a tenured faculty member at several state medical facilities, teaching postgraduate courses in both the United States and Jerusalem, Israel. Since retiring Hawk has authored several novels that have received national and international recognition. Moccasin Trace, a historical novel, was nominated for the prestigious Michael Shaara Award for Excellence in Civil War Fiction and the Writers Notes Book Award. The Cairns of Sainctuarie, his science fiction series, includes The Bleikovat Event and The Missing Planets, with a third book in the works. Hawk’s latest project focuses on The Moccasin Hollow Mystery Series. Book 1 in the series, Hidden Chamber of Death, was released early 2016.

Lisa BROWN – [re-post – please excuse the typo of your name.] The cover is outstanding…the graphic artist did a splendid creation of the different moods in the tale of twists & jerks. Good seeing U again - thanx for stopping by & commenting…

Library of Clean Reads/Fil PICCOLO - Thank you for hosting a review for Westobou Gold, Book 2 in the Moccasin Hollow Mystery Series. Book 3 in the mystery series as well as the next sci-fi title, is in edit. An earlier title, Moccasin Trace, a prequel historical romance establishes the bloodline(s) of serial protagonists Craige Ingram in the Moccasin Hollow Mystery Series…

Traveler –More tales, myths, legends, lively haints & spooks backed up by gran’mas & gran’ps who know every crack & crevice of ever’one’s family secrets. More tales of the tellin’ than fantasies can pervade. Secrets stowed in the shadows from recent ‘befores’ & blood taints from the ole countries. It’s more than fun to delve into what fiction that ain’t hardly fiction none a’tall—one must tread careful when pokin’ an’ diggin’ into heart-held scandals. You’ve touched the fence-wire staple that ‘the locale is as interesting as the stories.’ Thanx for stopping by…

Janet W – I love the cover too. The bright colors, soft greens & lurking dark backgrounds hint at the mishmash of emotions & secrets coverted at & on the river(s). How little we know of what went before. I hope U enjoy the read as much as this thoroughly Southron writer did the write of some of my lived-with haintin’s…thanx for stopping by…

Barbara MONTAG – It was a tricky write with detailed outlines a decided must. It was fun to explore, juggle & twist the teasers for the reader(s). Glad it caught your interest; hope the read rivets your attention. Thanx for stopping by & commenting…

A pleasant ‘good morning’ Mary PRESTON – Good to see U again. The characters/plot/setting, i.e. pieces of the tale being told are more intriguing, i.e. fantastic(?) with each manuscript in the series. Thank U for following…

Lee McKOEN – It was a fun as well as an interesting write…glad U thought it `amazing’. Corruption is…unsettling & disgusting, BUT it’s always been around. Probably will be as long we bipeds let ambition run amok. Besides, it makes for an endless kaleidopscope of plots & motives. Thank U for stopping by, commenting…

Linda H – PI hunts & chases are fun to write…glad U like them. Hope U enjoy the read AND, “yes”…this is part of the Moccasin Hollow Mystery Series. In the series the protagonist, the SEAL team & other characters are serial characters from Bk-1, Hidden Chamber of Death. Westobou Gold is Bk-2 with Bk-3 in final edits. Covers of titles that have been released in this series, in the sci-fi series & the historical romance of Criage Ingram’s family are on the Home Page of the website below. Thanx for stopping by & commenting…

A GAL NEEDS – Thank U for the “amazing”—hope that carries over to your pleasure in the read. The bloodier retribution to those who would slaughter random is deserved. You’ve likely already encouraged your student Anna…“Keep writing.” No matter genres or ‘what’s hot in the market.’ Write what’s fun…it’s one of the great phantasmagorical brain-games…way better than chips & channel changers.